Malwarebytes Web Protection Won’t Turn On – Solutions and Tips

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One of the most annoying things your anti-malware or firewall programs can do is to just randomly shut down their primary features. The entire point of owning a software like Malwarebytes is for comprehensive 24/7 protection from potential viruses, spyware and other harmful files. Unfortunately, it seems that many people are experiencing an issue where Malwarebytes web protection won’t turn on. If you are currently dealing with this then please read on to obtain more information and some tips that will hopefully help your issue.

What is the Cause of Malwarebytes Web Protection Not Turning On?

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a very complex piece of programming, even if you are using the free edition. There are many speculations as to what exactly the problem is, but the truth is that there are likely several reasons. We’ll explain a couple of the most likely culprits as to why Malwarebytes web protection won’t turn on, which will hopefully relate to your particular situation.

Back in June 2018 Malwarebytes released a firmware update to their program which caused some errors for many people, including how Malwarebytes web protection won’t turn on. We will cover some possible solutions related to this issue shortly.

Another possibility is that since downloading Malwarebytes, you have downloaded another program that is in conflict with Malwarebytes. In all likelihood, this other file has a driver that is associated with another program. In the worst cases, computers can shut down completely and need to be reactivated through the BIOS when drivers are in conflict. If that’s the case then it could surely cause something such as the error of Malwarebytes web protection not turning on.

Now let’s begin discussing potential solutions to the Malwarebytes web protection won’t turn on error.

Solution 1: Restart Your PC

It sounds like a simple and meaningless action but you must realize that sometimes all it takes is something as simple as that. Many programs won’t function properly without a reboot. The problem is that sometimes these programs don’t tell you this due to unforeseen complications.

Restart your PC and then see if Malwarebytes will turn on. If it doesn’t, then let’s move on to step 2.

Solution 2: Reinstall Malwarebytes

If Malwarebytes web protection won’t turn on it may very well be due to new updates causing errors. This is an issue that many people have been experiencing lately and is probably related to the recent firmware updates over the past few months.

Fortunately, many people have had success in fixing web protection not turning on issues by doing a simple uninstallation and reinstallation of Malwarebytes.

If you don’t know how to uninstall Malwarebytes, simply go to the search bar through the main Windows Start page and type in “add or remove programs.” Once you find Malwarebytes you can uninstall it. Then go back to the Malwarebytes website and re-download the installation .exe and reinstall it.

This can work for those using the free version of Malwarebytes. If you own any of the paid versions then you will need to do some extra steps.

Upon reinstallation you will need to re-enter your activation codes. There are two of them: your identification code and your key activation code. If you didn’t write them down from before or keep the email sent to you that contains them, you can find them in your PC. Just remember to do the following before you uninstall your Malwarebytes if you have a paid edition.

Press Windows Key + R to bring up an advanced search function. Type in “regedit” and then a new window will pop up. Depending on whether your PC is using Windows 32-bit or 64-bit, your activation codes will be within a slightly different folder. There’s simply an extra one for Windows 64-bit users but the steps and destination are essentially the same.

For 32-bit users the pathway is “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware.”

For 64-bit users the pathway is “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware.”

When you reach the installation process make sure you check off Premium version and don’t pick trial version, otherwise you will have to redo these steps. Input your codes when prompted.

Solution 3: Update Malwarebytes

Sometimes Malwarebytes web protection won’t turn on when you are running an older version. Outdated software can cause problems, which is why it is always smart to keep your programs up to date.

The current version of Malwarebytes is 3.7.1. If you have a different version then it is time to update your firmware.

To update Malwarebytes simply head on over to the program’s Settings page. The first tab on the left will be called “Application.” On this page simply double click on “Install Application Updates.” Once the process is complete try to turn on web protection and see if it works.

Solution 4: Reboot the MBAM (Malwarebytes Anti-Malware) Service

This is a more technical solution, but it has helped some people get their Malwarebytes web protection to turn back on. If any of the previous steps have failed you then feel free to try this next.

First, you will need to access the Task Manager. If you don’t know how to do it then the easiest way is to press Escape + Control + Left Shift all at once.

Once the Task Manager page appears, you will want to click on “More Details” in the bottom left corner. If it already says “Fewer Details” then you are already on the right track.

The Processes tab is the main page of Task Manager and you should be automatically brought to it upon clicking on “More Details”. What you need to do next is make sure Malwarebytes is currently on. Then you need to scroll down through the Processes list until you find a program called “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware”. Luckily, these lists are in alphabetical order so it will be easy to find, even if you have many programs currently running.

When you find “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware” you will have to right-click on it and turn it off by selecting the “End task” option.

If you see a warning notification pop up then don’t be concerned. You can safely ignore it and proceed by turning off the service.

Once you do that you will immediately gain access to a new window called “Run new task”. In the bar type in “mbam”. Now you can restart your computer and boot up Malwarebytes to see if your web protection will turn back on.

Solution 5: Remove Recent Drivers

As we mentioned earlier, sometimes computers can get into serious problems when drivers conflict with one another. Therefore, what may work for you is to remove the earliest drivers you’ve installed in various updates and hope that this fixes the Malwarebytes web protection error.

You don’t want to uninstall any serious Windows updates, but fortunately Malwarebytes would never be in conflict with data like that in the first place. You want to look for drivers associated with sound, video games, any new USB devices you’ve plugged in or any other basic programs that aren’t directly tied to your operating software.

First go to the Windows Start menu, then type in Device Manager. From this new page you will double click on the category you want – there’s categories you will want to ignore like “Computer” and “Processors” and “System Devices.” Concentrate on Audio Inputs, Human Interface Devices, Keyboards, Portable Devices, Universal Serial Bus Controllers and categories like these.

You can right-click on individual items to see the date they were either installed or last updated. If any of these dates coincide with when Malwarebytes web protection wouldn’t turn on then you may have found your culprit.

Alternatively, you can also remove entire programs that may have come with their own conflicting drivers. Removing the entire program would also remove the driver. Type in “Add or remove programs” in Windows Start page and look at your recent downloads. If you can remember downloading or installing something right before Malwarebytes web protection shut down then you may solve your problem this way instead.

Solution 6: Use System Restore

While System Restore is sometimes seen as a last resort option, it is actually very simple to pull off. It is not nearly as demanding as doing a disk reformat or anything like that. The right way to think of it is a rewinding rather than a total clean slate.

System Restore is the right way to go if you suspect that a driver you recently installed is conflicting with Malwarebytes but you don’t know which one.

If you remember the day that Malwarebytes web protection stopped working then rewind to a day before that or the best date that System Restore can offer.

To access System Restore, simply go to Windows Start and type in Restore. Then click on “System Restore” under the System Protection tab. Find a date that is before the day Malwarebytes web protection turned off and click on it. Your PC will initiate a reboot process longer than average and should restart to a configuration that more-or-less mirrors what it was like on that day. Malwarebytes should be working once again after that.